Clinton's blood clot was located in the vein between the brain and skull behind her right ear, according to her doctors' statement. It is being treated with blood thinners and did not result in a stroke or any neurological damage.

This type of blood clot is called a cerebral vein thrombosis and is relatively rare, said Dr. Mary Cushman, director of the Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program at the University of Vermont and chair of the American Society of Hematology's subcommittee on quality of care.

A two-year study conducted in the Netherlands found cerebral vein thrombosis affects approximately 1 in every 100,000 people. In comparison, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 1 in 1,000 people are affected by deep venous thrombosis (DVT) -- a similar clot found most often in the leg.

Photos: Clinton's political career 61 photos

Photos: Clinton's political career61 photos

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pictured in October 2012, has become one of the most powerful people in Washington. Here's a look at her life and career through the years:

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Before she married Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here, Rodham talks about student protests in 1969, which she supported in her commencement speech at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Rodham, center, a lawyer for the Rodino Committee, and John Doar, left, chief counsel for the committee, bring impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in the Judiciary Committee hearing room at the U.S. Capitol in 1974.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton helps first lady Rosalynn Carter on a campaign swing through Arkansas in June 1979. Also seen in the photo is Hillary Clinton, center background.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Bill Clinton embraces his wife shortly after a stage light fell near her on January 26, 1992. They talk to Don Hewitt, producer of the CBS show "60 Minutes."

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – With Hillary, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton waves to the crowd at his victory party after winning the Illinois primary on March 17, 1992.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Al Gore, Tipper Gore, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton wave to supporters at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, after they gave speeches on family values on August 23, 1992.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton gestures at a campaign rally November 3, 1992, in Denver. After taking office, President Clinton chose his wife to head a special commission on health care reform, the most significant public policy initiative of his first year in office.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Bill and Hillary Clinton have a laugh together on Capitol Hill in 1993.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton pours herself a cup of tea in 1993 while testifying to the Senate Education and Labor Committee about health care reform.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton speaks at George Washington University on September 10, 1993, in Washington during her husband's first term.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton waves to the media on January 26, 1996, as she arrives at federal court in Washington for an appearance before a grand jury. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Hillary Clinton looks on as President Clinton discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Hillary and Bill Clinton arrive at Foundry United Methodist Church on August 16, 1998, in Washington. He became the first sitting president to testify before a grand jury when he testified via satellite about the Lewinsky matter.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton shakes hands during a St. Patrick's Day parade in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens, New York, on March 5, 2000.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton waves to the crowd as she arrives on the stage at the Democratic National Convention on August 14, 2000, in Los Angeles.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton campaigns for a Senate seat October 25, 2000, at Grand Central Station in New York.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Hillary Clinton is sworn in as a senator of New York in a re-enactment ceremony with, from left, President Clinton, nephew Tyler, daughter Chelsea, brother Hugh Rodham, mother Dorothy Rodham and Vice President Al Gore on January 3, 2001, in Washington.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Andrew Cuomo, Eliot Spitzer and Clinton celebrate with a crowd of Democratic supporters after their wins in various races November 7, 2006, in New York.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton speaks during a post-primary rally on January 8, 2007, at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – The Clintons pay a visit to the 92nd annual Hopkinton State Fair in Contoocook, New Hampshire, on September 2, 2007.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton speaks at a campaign rally September 2, 2007, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She was running for the Democratic presidential nomination.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton addresses a question during a debate with other Democratic presidential candidate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, on September 26, 2007. Also pictured are U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, left, and former U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Felipe Bravo, left, and Christian Caraballo are covered with Hillary Clinton stickers in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, on January 8, 2008.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton campaigns in Council Bluffs, Iowa, with her daughter, Chelsea, on January 1, 2008, two days ahead of the January 3 state caucus.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton waves as she speaks to supporters at the National Building Museum on June 7, 2008, in Washington. After pulling out of the presidential race, Clinton thanked her supporters and urged them to back Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a Unity Rally in Unity, New Hampshire, on June 27, 2008.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Obama watches Clinton address the Democratic National Convention on August 26, 2008. The two endured a long, heated contest for the 2008 nomination.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton testifies during her confirmation hearing for secretary of state on January 13, 2009, in Washington.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton, as secretary of state, dances with a local choir while visiting the Victoria Mxenge Housing Project in Philippi, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, on August 8, 2009.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton looks through binoculars toward North Korea during a visit to an observation post July 21, 2010, at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton walks up the steps to her aircraft as she leaves a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on July 23, 2010, in Hanoi, Vietnam.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Hillary and Bill Clinton pose on the day of their daughter's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky on July 31, 2010, in Rhinebeck, New York.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – U.S. President Barack Obama and Clinton observe a moment of silence before a NATO meeting November 19, 2010, in Lisbon, Portugal.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton listens as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu makes a brief statement November 29, 2010, before a bilateral meeting at the State Department in Washington.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton shakes hands with a child during an unannounced walk through Tahrir Square in Cairo on March 16, 2011.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Clinton and members of Obama's national security team receive an update on the Osama bin Laden mission May 1, 2011, in the Situation Room of the White House.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton checks her personal digital assistant prior to departing Malta on October 18, 2011.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton dances while in Cartagena, Colombia, on April 15, 2012.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton enjoys a beer at Cafe Havana in Cartagena, Colombia, on April 15, 2012.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton appears with little makeup during an event in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 6, 2012. She tells CNN, "I feel so relieved to be at the stage I'm at in my life right now ... Because you know if I want to wear my glasses, I'm wearing my glasses. If I want to wear my hair back I'm pulling my hair back. You know at some point it's just not something that deserves a lot of time and attention."

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton speaks as Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai listens during a news conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 7, 2012.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton arrives at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel on July 15, 2012.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton looks on as Obama makes a statement in response to the attack at the U.S. Consulate in Libya on September 12, 2012.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton applauds Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a ceremony where Suu Kyi was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal on September 19, 2012.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Bill Clinton kisses his wife after introducing her at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting on September 24, 2012, in New York City.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton shakes hands with Libyan President Mohamed Magariaf on September 24, 2012, in New York.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton stands during a news conference following meetings at the prime minister's office in Pristina, Kosovo, on October 31, 2012. Clinton said that Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence, fiercely opposed by Serbia, was "not up for discussion."

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton chats with Suu Kyi before Obama speaks at the University of Yangon in Yangon, Myanmar, on November 19, 2012.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Obama looks at Clinton before the start of a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, far right, during the East Asian Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 20, 2012.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with Clinton at the prime minister's office November 20, 2012, in Jerusalem.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton receives a sports jersey and football helmet from Deputy Secretary Tom Nides, center, after returning to work on January 7, 2013, following a fall where she hit her head and doctors later detected a blood clot. The number 112 represented the number of countries that she had visited as secretary of state.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton and her husband arrive for the inauguration for Obama's second term on January 21, 2013.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill on January 23, 2013. Lawmakers questioned Clinton about the security failures during the Benghazi, Libya, attacks that led to the death of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – From left, first lady Michelle Obama stands with former first ladies Laura Bush, Clinton, Barbara Bush and Rosalynn Carter at the opening ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on April 25, 2013.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – From left, Clinton, former first lady Laura Bush and former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush listen to speakers during the memorial service for Nelson Mandela in Soweto, South Africa, on December 10.

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Photos: Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries conference in Las Vegas on April 10.

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Photos: Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton tours the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York with President Barack Obama, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, first lady Michelle Obama and former President Clinton on May 15.

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton sits down with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer on Thursday, June 5, for her first television interview in conjunction with the release of her new book, "Hard Choices."

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Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight – Clinton makes 10-year-old Macy Friday's day as she campaigns for U.S. Sen. Mark Udall during a stop Monday, October 13, in Union Station in Denver.

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EXPAND GALLERY

Clinton, now 65, suffered from a DVT in 1998. Anyone who has had a blood clot in the past is at a higher risk of getting one again. About one-third of people with DVT will have a recurrence within 10 years, according to the CDC.

"There are a handful of genetic conditions that predispose someone to these kinds of clots," Cushman said. "That's why you might see two different (types of blood clots) in the same person."

It's unknown if Clinton has a genetic condition that may increase her risk. Other risk factors for DVT include smoking, use of oral contraceptives, age (the risk increases over age 65) and obesity.

Hillary Clinton's blood clot explained

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Clinton treated for blood clot in head

A large long-term study published in the journal PLoS One in 2007 found the more frequently a person travels, the higher their risk of blood clots.

The blood in veins is fighting gravity to get back to the heart, Cushman said, and needs the leg muscles to help push it along. When a person is sedentary for long periods of time -- especially on a plane or in a car where the legs are in the same position for hours -- the blood can start to clot.

Clinton has logged many miles as secretary of state, in addition to the time spent traveling as a former presidential candidate and first lady. Although she plans to step down from the State Department soon, there is a lot of speculation about a run for president in 2016.

Blood clots wouldn't deter her from campaigning if that's what she chooses, said Dr. Jack Ansell, an expert in thrombosis at Lenox Hill Hospital who is not involved in Clinton's care.

"Travel is potentially an issue for the secretary, but I would imagine that when she travels she's not sitting in a coach seat, cramped up and sitting still," Ansell said.

Experts recommend anyone with a history of blood clots stand up and walk every couple hours during long trips. They should also avoid alcoholic drinks prior to traveling -- dehydration can contribute to the formation of blood clots. Doctors often recommend wearing compression stockings, which help move blood along in the legs by narrowing the veins.

Clinton may remain on blood thinners for several months or for the foreseeable future, said Dr. Evan Lipsitz, chief of vascular surgery at Montefiore Medical Center, who is not treating the secretary of state.

"The current recommendations are for at least three months of treatment with a blood thinner following a clot. Each case much be individualized depending on the size and location of the clot and the risk of bleeding as a result of the treatment," Lipsitz said.

Often patients on these medications are monitored closely, having their blood checked once a month or every couple of months to ensure the dosage is right.

Lipsitz makes his patients aware of typical blood clot symptoms (sudden pain or swelling in the limbs, or chest pain and shortness of breath caused by a blood clot traveling toward the lungs) so they can spot them and get treated quickly.

Patients on blood thinners need to avoid physical trauma, Cushman said, but are otherwise fine. So while an NFL player or a construction worker would probably be out, Clinton's career going forward is still full of possibilities.

"I think her future is as good as her past," Ansell said. "She should recover fully and get back to work."